The Tyrant Philosophers
#1014.20 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 4 books Status Ongoing 2022–present Reading commitment Medium Adrian Tchaikovsky Last reviewed 2026-08-29
Overview
The Tyrant Philosophers is a sequence of novels following the Palleseen, a militarised empire of ideological “perfectionists”, as their occupation and war machine spread across a series of very different cities and cultures. Rather than one single continuous plot, each novel largely follows new viewpoint characters in a new setting, tied together by the Palleseen war effort and a recurring cast of officers and agents rather than a single hero's journey.
Grimdark, Epic fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (4 works) counts toward ranking
The Tyrant Philosophers Adrian Tchaikovsky
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | City of Last Chances | 2022 | 1 | core | 3.94 (10,614 ratings) |
 | House of Open Wounds | 2023 | 2 | core | 4.51 (4,943 ratings) |
 | Days of Shattered Faith | 2024 | 3 | core | 4.39 (3,130 ratings) |
 | Pretenders to the Throne of God | 2026 | 4 | core | 4.57 (1,854 ratings) |
A sequence of loosely connected novels following the Palleseen, a militarised empire of ideological "perfectionists", as their occupation spreads across a series of very different cities. Each book largely follows new viewpoint characters in a new setting, tied together by the Palleseen war machine and a recurring cast of officers and agents rather than one single continuous plot.
Library / Expanded (1 work)
Lives of Bitter Rain (2025) ; A standalone novella set in the same world as the main sequence; not required reading order for the Core Canon novels.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Tyrant Philosophers? The Tyrant Philosophers's Core Canon is 4 books, plus 1 more in the wider Library/Expanded material.
- What is the reading order for The Tyrant Philosophers? Publication order, starting with City of Last Chances. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Tyrant Philosophers finished? Ongoing (2022–present).
- How much reading does The Tyrant Philosophers take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 4 Core Canon books · ~2,126 pages).
- How is The Tyrant Philosophers ranked? #101 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 20,541 reader ratings across 4 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #101?
Ranked #101 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 4.20 across 4 core books.
- A smaller readership (20,541 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Uneven reception: its books range from 3.94 to 4.57.
- Less than 0.01 behind #100, The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Highly rated · 4 books · Ongoing · 21k ratings · Ranks #101 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length grimdark fantasy universe that's still ongoing, with new books still coming.
Reading order
Publication order (4 Core Canon books)
- City of Last Chances (2022)
- House of Open Wounds (2023)
- Days of Shattered Faith (2024)
- Pretenders to the Throne of God (2026)
Documented internal/story chronology is recorded for every Core Canon book here, and matches publication order exactly, with no divergence to show separately.
Awards (verified)
- British Science Fiction Association Award (Best Novel), 2023: won: City of Last Chances; Awarded to City of Last Chances.
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.20 across 20,541 ratings on 4 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: The Tyrant Philosophers admitted; Core Canon = the four main-sequence novels, the companion novella kept as Expanded Canon accepted 2026-08-29
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-08-29
Rule: Core Canon is the four main-sequence novels: City of Last Chances, House of Open Wounds, Days of Shattered Faith, and Pretenders to the Throne of God. A 2025 companion novella, Lives of Bitter Rain, is Expanded Canon: shorter standalone side material set in the same world, not required reading for the main sequence.